CHILDREN’S LIT

10 Fantastic Early Readers and Chapter Books for Emerging Reads – School Library Journal

10 Middle Grade Books Coming Out in 2026 to Add to Your TBR List – Pages Unbound

25 Books I Always Recommend for Kids Who Hate to Read – Reading Middle Grade

In picture book biographies, Black kids can see themselves, and what they can be – The Miami Times

In praise and gratitude for Tomi Ungerer, picture-book artist, rebel spirit – KC Studio

The Man Behind ‘Dog Man’ Is a Pack Leader for Young Readers – New York Times

The Most Anticipated Children’s Books of 2026 – Lit Hub

Sibert 2026 Predictions! It’s Nonfiction, Man. – Fuse #8

LIBRARIES

A 200-year-old book distributor is closing. Here’s what that means for public libraries – NPR

‘I Never Saw That Coming’: Shannon Hale Couldn’t Believe Her Children’s Book About a Unicorn Was Tossed Off Shelves – PEN America

YA LIT

2026 Best Fiction for Young Adults Winter Round-Up – The Hub (YALSA)

Most Anticipated Young Adult SFF/H for January & February 2026 – Reactor

Q&A: Katie Bernet, Author of ‘Beth Is Dead’ – The Nerd Daily

Readers Delight: It’s The Most Anticipated YA Books for 2026! – Book Riot

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

21 Terrific Books by Jason Reynolds, Faith Erin Hicks, and More | Starred Reviews, December 2025 – SLJ

40 Most-Anticipated Middle Grade Books: January-March 2026 – Pop Goes the Reader

2025’s Best LGBTQ Middle Grade Books for Holiday Giving – Mombian

The Best Children’s Books of 2025 – New York Times

Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Books of 2025 – CSMCL

Jeanette Winter, Who Told Children About Artists’ Lives, Dies at 86 – New York Times

A Roundup of 2025’s Best Book Lists for Children and Teens – Publishers Weekly

The Ten Best Children’s Books of 2025 Feature a Story of Untrustworthy Fish and a Tribute to a Beloved Bus Driver – Smithsonian Magazine

LIBRARIES

Entire Library Board Dissolved Over One Picture Book About a Trans Kid – Them.us

Richard Osman among authors backing call to issue library card to all UK babies – The Guardian

Top 52 Banned Books: The Most Banned Books in U.S. Schools – PEN America

US librarians tackle ‘manufactured crisis’ of book bans to protect LGBTQ+ rights – The Guardian

YA LIT

Notable Young Adult Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror of 2025 – Reactor

CHILDREN’S LIT

2025 Children’s Lit: The Year in Miscellanea – 100 Scope Notes

The best Canadian children’s books of 2025 – CBC

Let it snow with these 4 picture books – BookPage

Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Middle Grade: January-June 2026 – LGBTQ Reads

ND Stevenson on Picking Back Up the Pirate Fantasy Project He Started as a Teen – Autostraddle

New and Noteworthy Children’s and YA Books: December 2025 – Publishers Weekly

Our 2026 Mock Caldecott Results! – 100 Scope Notes

Pippi Longstocking turns 80 and still teaches kids how to be free – YNet

Reading Rainbow Host Mychal Threets Is Sparking Joy, One Story at a Time – Readers Digest

LIBRARIES

Creating a Welcoming Culture for Caregivers at Storytime – ALSC

Public libraries in TX, LA, and MS are no longer protected by the First Amendment. – Lit Hub

YA LIT

2026 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Fall Round-Up – YALSA

A ‘Hugely Valuable’ Resource: Author Bill Konigsberg Explains Why Queer Teens Need Books About Sex and Sexuality – PEN America

CHILDREN’S LIT

10 Great Children’s Books You Might Have Missed in 2025 – Lit Hub

The 20 best children’s books of 2025 – The Times

25 Books for Young Readers Counting Down to Christmas – SLJ

31 Days, 31 Lists: The Great Board Books of 2025 – Fuse #8

40 of the Best Picture Books of 2025 – The Children’s Book Review

The Best New Books for Kids Published in 2025 – NY Magazine

Canada’s book community shares their favourite young readers titles of 2025 – Quill & Quire

DO Read These Storytime Don’ts: Books That Break the Rules – ALSC

From golems to Horton to banana menorahs: This year’s Hanukkah kids’ books light up the imagination – The Jerusalem Post

I Run GH’s Kids’ Book Awards, and These Are the Baby Books I’m Gifting This Year – Good Housekeeping

SLJ Best Books 2025 – SLJ

LIBRARIES

8 Best American Cities for People Who Love Libraries – Mental Floss

ALA welcomes reinstatement of all federal IMLS grants to libraries – ALA

CPL Best of the Best Books 2025 – Chicago Public Library

The Last Video Rental Store Is Your Public Library – 404 Media

New York Public Library Best Books – NYPL

On the Infinite Lives of the Library – Lit Hub

You Can’t Fight Fascism While Defunding Libraries – Organizing My Thoughts

CHILDREN’S LIT

The Case for Child Liberation Through Children‘s Books – Lit Hub

Five questions for Laura Amy Schlitz – Horn Book

I don’t believe it! Dav Pilkey takes his first number one – The Bookseller

LIBRARIES

Baltimore County reinstates 14 part-time librarians after abrupt mass firings – CBS News

Missouri court strikes down book ban law that pushed libraries to remove hundreds of titles – KCUR

Under pressure, Maine Library Commission postpones vote to adopt new requirements for libraries – The Maine Monitor

YA LIT

From Young to Adult With ‘Six of Crows’: Your Favorite Books Are Being Quietly Re-Edited – The Harvard Crimson

Love that Chi-Chi! Ngozi Ukazu scores a different type of body checking with her new book, Flip – The Comics Journal

From the amazing new library where I am Assistant Director.

And I’ll brag a little bit more:

Appleton Public Library wins 2025 Wisconsin Library of the Year award for distinguished service – Post Crescent

Appleton Public Library Wins AIA Chicago People’s Choice Award – SOM

Inside SOM’s Forward-Thinking Appleton Public Library Design – GB&D

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

‘Strega Nona’ is still reaching audiences at 50 years old – NPR

Travel Can Make Classic Children’s Books Come Alive – New York Times

LIBRARIES

How the Library Made Me an Author – SLJ

Ohio Republicans are messing with libraries, but voters just sent a clear warning shot – Cleveland.com

Some Tennessee Libraries Shut Down For “Emergency Closure” Over Transgender Books – Erin in the Morning

YA LIT

Chloe Gong: The Books That Sparked My Dystopia Era – Paste

CHILDREN’S LIT

9 Contemporary, Indigenous Graphic Novels for Kids and Teens – SLJ

9 Sensational Indigenous YA Books to Make You Think – Book Riot

10 Great New Children’s Books Out in November That Explore the Skies – Lit Hub

Is a giant picture book about a bus the new Harry Potter… in Denmark? – Diggit Magazine

It will take more than the new Children’s Booker Prize to arrest the dramatic decline in reading enjoyment – The Conversation

Strega Nona turns 50 — and her art lives in Minneapolis – MPR

LIBRARIES

AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge – 404 Media

Historic libraries bring modern comfort to book lovers and history buffs in New England – SC Now

How one South Florida teen continues her fight against banned books and censorship – WLRN

I joined the oldest and most overlooked library in my town – and it feels like being part of a secret club – The Guardian

YA LIT

10 LGBTQ+ YA Fantasy Novels to Inspire Teens to Live Their Truth – People

E. Lockhart Returns to the Land of ‘We Were Liars’ in a New Book – New York Times

A Guide to the Biggest Young Adult Book Releases Wrapping Up 2025 — And How to Read Each Series – US Weekly

Q&A: Chloe Gong, Author of ‘Coldwire’ – The Nerd Daily

Talking teen literacy with University of Minnesota – UMN

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

7 Nature-Themed Graphic Novels to Inspire Kids to Explore the Great Outdoors – SLJ

77 Picture Book Series That Encourage Readers to Embrace the Journey – SLJ

Children learn to read with books that are just right for them – but that might not be the best approach – The Conversation

The Children’s Booker prize will tell kids that they matter – The Guardian

How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Macabre – New York Times

Phil Johnston discusses his animated adaptation of the classic children’s book ‘The Twits’ – NPR

There is a silver bullet for childhood happiness: a love of reading – The Times

LIBRARIES

More than 100 people show support for Hales Corners library director targeted by out-of-state group over teen content – CBS 58

Passing notes: Public libraries communicating with schools – ASLC Blog

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

COVID Hurt Our Kids’ Reading Levels But These Black Books Will Help Them Catch Up – The Root

Great Read Alouds: Bird Watching – Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

LIBRARIES

A 3,200km tour of Australian libraries taught me just how vital they are – The Guardian

Alabama board seeks to ban books that ‘positively’ depict trans themes from library youth sections – The Seattle Times

Books about race and gender to be returned to school libraries on some military bases – NPR

Can libraries help overcome isolation and bridge cultural divides? – WVTF

Hundreds of Carnegie Libraries to Receive $10,000 Gifts in Celebration of United States’ 250th Anniversary – Carnegie Corporation of New York

N.J. school board that refused to ban teen sex guide from library is cleared of ethics charges – NJ.com

Wi-Fi Hot Spot Lending Program Scrapped, Leaving Libraries Scrambling – EdSurge

YA LIT

8 New Dystopian YA Books – Book Riot

Why threats to YA literature are a threat to our future – The Daily Campus